Ika 26 ng Mayo 2009: Social Ettiquette

An elderly acquaintance told me that I must be wanting in sleep as I slept the entire time in the van this morning on the way to work. I felt I nearly snored while sleeping. I was aware but was craving for sleep. I know I don't snore as my sleep companions have told me I am a quiet sleeper but I felt that a snore was about to come out of me. It felt like I was short of breath and I breathed deeply to make up for it. I think my tongue was covering the mouth opening and instead of releasing the air, it was blocked. That would have been embarrassing if I snored.

In a situation where people have become familiar and familial at times, these are the kind of things you want to avoid from happening. But sometimes, we cannot help but commit faux pas in certain situations. The shuttle ride is at least an hour long. There are social blunders that are likely to happen. One time, a man was snoring so loudly and you can bet that all eyes were on him. Poor guy must be be sleep deprived or could actually be suffering from sleep apnea. Even talking to one another or on the phone loudly is frowned upon by sleeping passengers. The more courageous ones manifest their wishes only too obviously.

Farting loudly is definitely taboo. But what do you do on those situations when you have beans or rootcrops for breakfast? I guess nobody minds the odorless and silent passing of gas. But the silent and killer ones are atrocious. The loud ones are surely gonna bring in curses even from the most saintly of people. For some funny and psychotic reasons, some co-riders look like they are farters to me.

Nitrogen, the main constituent of air, is the primary gas released during flatulence, along with carbon dioxide which is present in higher quantities in those who drink carbonated beverages regularly. The lesser component gases methane and hydrogen are flammable, and so flatus containing adequate amounts of these can be ignited. However, not all humans produce flatus that contains methane. For example, in one study of the faeces of nine adults, only five of the samples contained archaea capable of producing methane. Similar results are found in samples of gas obtained from within the rectum.

The gas released during a flatus event frequently has an unpleasant odor which mainly results from low molecular weight fatty acids such as butyric acid (rancid butter smell) and reduced sulphur compounds such as hydrogen sulphide (rotten egg smell) and carbonyl sulphide that are the result of protein breakdown. The incidence of odoriferous compounds in flatulence emissions increases from herbivores, such as cattle, through omnivores to carnivorous species, such as cats.[citation needed] Such odor can also be caused by the presence of large numbers of microflora bacteria and/or the presence of faeces in the rectum.

Less offensive but nevertheless attention catching in a quiet environment is a burp. A burp emerges from the stomach and has a different chemical composition from a fart. Farts have less atmospheric gas content and more bacterial gas content than burps. So there would be less trouble there if someone burps unless you're seated beside the burper and he ate something really disgusting. Belching would be more disgusting and some people, particularly men, take pride in doing it. Cameroon Diaz is famous for her loud belch and even won a belching trophy from the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for it.

Odors are sticky issues too. Once, a woman was insistent that our dispatcher made sure that she and her friends are seated together at the back. She apparently was seated beside somebody who was coughing the previous night..... worse is the person has bad breath.

At any rate, I mind my social etiquette among my co-riders, drivers, dispatchers, and owners of the vans........ Do I fart or belch? Only the dead stops farting. It's in the ability to do these biological reflexes discreetly without causing discomfort or guffaws from other people. Today, it's a good thing that I was able to check myself and no damage was done. Otherwise, I would have to take the bus eternally........

Related Posts:

Fart Facts
Flatulence

PS: Ang tagal ng paghihintay ko para matapos ang serbisyo sa bagong parlor na pinuntahan ko kahapon. Wala kasi ang mga tauhan ng me-ari kaya siya at isang tauhan lang niya ang gumagawa. Yun kasama pa niya massage therapist lang kaya di siya matulungan sa lahat ng serbisyo. Wala talaga siyang pahinga habang papalit-palit siya sa min mga apat na customer niya dun. At karaniwang di lang isa gagawin. Gaya ko, nagpa-hot oil, hair trim, at manicure/pedicure ako. Yun therapist lang niya ang naglagay ng pang-hot oil pero siya na lahat ang gumawa.

Tantiya ko mga limang oras ako dun. Nainip na nga ako at marami pa sana akong pupuntahan. Di na rin ako makaalis at lahat ng gagawin sa kin naumpisahan na. Me nakuha rin naman ako sa paghihintay na yun.

Una nakapag-usap kami sa mga therapists niya na nagpupunta sa bahay. Tinanong ko kasi yun karagdagang bayad sa bawat serbisyo. Nilinaw niya na para sa pamasahe yun at hindi sa lahat ng serbisyo. Sa pag-uusap lumabas din na me mga pagkakataon na nagpalusot yun tao niya sa kanya. Mabuti naman at nakapag-usap kami tungkol dito.

Naikweto rin niya sa kin kung paano siya nagkaparlor. Matagal daw siyang namamasukan lang hanggang sa himukin siya ng mga customers niya na magtayo ng sari niyang parlor. Mga customer din daw niya ang tumulong sa kanya. Ang iba inutang niya. Dati nga daw sa iskwater sila nakatira at pangarap niya na makaalis at mangupahan sa mas magandang lugar. Sa pag-sisikap niya unti-unti niyang natutupag ang kanyang pangarap. Hindi na sila sa iskwater nakatira buong pagmamalaki niya. At kahit papaano nababayaran na niya ang mga utang niya. Nakakatulong pa siya dahil sa pagkuha niya ng mga tauhan sa parlor niya, nabibigyan niya ng kabuhayan ang mga ito at natuturuan pa niya ng pamamaraan sa buhay.

Nasabi ko sa kanya na bilib ako sa galing niya........ At nakikita ko na aasenso pa siya kung patuloy ang magandang patakaran niya sa buhay.